THREE CASES OF CORONA VIRUS (COVID19) CONFIRMED IN SOUTH AFRICA

Three cases of the Corona Virus have now been confirmed in South Africa! The first case of the virus was confirmed four days ago on a father from Kwazulu-Natal who had contracted the virus while on holiday in Italy. The second case was a direct contact of the first patient, his wife who had also gone with him to Italy with their two children. Hours ago, the third case was confirmed, the woman was part of the ten people that had travelled to Italy from South Africa. The remaining results of the six travellers are expected in two days.

According to the World Health Organisation, Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. The common symptoms of the virus include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. Severe cases of infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

These are scary times especially for Africa. Will Africa be able to cope with an outbreak? Does it have enough facilities, let alone enough capacity to treat critical cases of the virus?? I suppose for now some emphasis on safety tips could help.